The Second Time (18 page)

Her hand slid off his cheek as Randy turned to
obey. Her gaze started to follow him, then leaped to the opened door where Slater was standing. There was a gentleness in his expression, a light in his gray eyes that seemed to be studying her for the first time.

“I heard what you told Randy,” he said. “You weren’t faking.”

“That’s big of you.” Hurt, she swung away and gripped the edge of the sink an instant, then reached for the skillet to begin jabbing at the crust again. She shut her eyes briefly when she heard his footsteps approaching her.

“Will you listen to me?” Slater requested and started to turn her chin toward him with his hand. “I’m trying to tell you I was wrong.”

Dawn jerked away from his touch and walked swiftly to the wall calendar by the phone to elude him. “I’d better mark that down.” She picked up a pen and began writing on the date. “‘Today Slater Mac Bride said he was wrong.’ There!” She flashed him a challenging look.

“I’m sorry,” he insisted with persuasive sincerity. “What more do you want me to say? I misjudged you—your reasons—everything.”

“I tried to tell you that but you twisted my words up and used them against me.” Her anger was weakening but the deep hurt from his accusations wouldn’t allow her to easily forgive him.

“I was wrong,” Slater admitted again. “I realize that I was more willing to believe the worst than to trust you. I was scared of being hurt. It all seemed too good to be true so I tried to find something wrong with it. I let my suspicion feed
on itself and never came to you with it. That was my biggest mistake.”

“And I should have told you about being left out of Simpson’s will from the start,” she sighed, because the omission had eventually compounded the problem. “But I knew you’d take such delight in it,” Dawn accused with a brief flash of her old fire.

“I probably would have,” he agreed with a hint of a smile.

Randy watched them both cautiously. “Does this mean you aren’t mad at each other anymore? You won’t be getting a divorce?”

“Does it?” Slater quirked an eyebrow and silently appealed for her answer.

To be forgiven, one also had to be able to forgive. That was one of the responsibilities of loving. And she loved him. A smile slowly lifted the corners of her mouth as she held his gaze.

“Yes, that’s what it means,” she said softly. As Slater started toward her, she came to meet him. Randy discreetly wandered to the window while they embraced, arms tightly holding each other. It was a rawly sweet kiss that healed the hurt they had inflicted on one another and gave birth to a stronger love. It shone in their eyes when the kiss ended and they gazed at each other.

Slater enfolded her more lovingly in his arms and nestled her head on his shoulder. They swayed slightly to the tempo of their fast-beating hearts. His hand rubbed over her hair in a caressing fashion.

“What I said about a leopard not changing her spots?” he murmured, tipping his chin down so he could have a glimpse of her face.

“Yes?” She glanced up, now able to wait for his explanation without jumping to a conclusion out of self-protection.

“They’re born without spots and acquire them as they mature,” he said.

He was blaming her youth for her actions all those years ago. She felt like crying out of sheer happiness because that tragic episode seemed finally behind them.

“Dad?” Randy had heard their murmuring voices and thought it safe to intrude on their conversation. “Where’s your car? It isn’t in the driveway.”

Still holding Dawn, Slater turned his head to look at their son. “It’s parked a couple of blocks away. I ran out of gas,” he admitted with a wryly chagrined expression. “I meant to fill it last night and forgot.”

“Why didn’t you walk to the gas station and have the empty gas can in the trunk filled?” Randy frowned.

“There was a slight problem.” He glanced down at Dawn, amusement glittering in his eyes. “I didn’t have any money on me to pay for it. And the only station open on Sunday that’s close by doesn’t accept credit cards. So I had to come back to see if I couldn’t persuade my wife to part with some of the money I’d given her. Do you suppose that could be arranged?”

“Oh, dear,” she murmured. “I burned it all.”

“You did what?” He drew his head back, eyeing her skeptically.

“I was mad so I put it in the ashtray and set fire to it,” Dawn admitted.

There was a stunned moment of silence before Slater tipped his head back and laughed heartily. “What kind of woman did I marry?” he declared with a shake of his head. “She has to have money to burn.”

“I’m sorry.” It seemed so childish now. “Living with you isn’t going to be easy,” he said.

“We’ll make it,” Dawn asserted confidently.

“Of course,” Slater agreed. “You know what they say—the third time’s a charm.”

JANET DAILEY
is the author of scores of popular, uniquely American novels, including the bestselling
The Glory Game; Silver Wings, Santiago Blue; The Pride of Hannah Wade;
and the phenomenal
CALDER SAGA
. Since her first novel was published in 1975, Janet Dailey has become the bestselling female author in America, with more than three hundred million copies of her books in print. Her books have been published in 17 languages and are sold in 90 different countries. Janet Dailey’s careful research and her intimate knowledge of America have made her one of the best-loved authors in the country—and around the world.